List of 41 Illegal Universities Disclosed

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has unveiled the identities of the illegal "universities" with known addresses operating in the country.

The commission disclosed this yesterday at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) headquarters during a joint press conference on the activities of the operators of the illegal "universities" across the country.

According to a release signed by the NUC deputy director (legal), Moses Awe, and made available to LEADERSHIP, 41 illegal universities have so far been identified with fixed addresses and have been published on NUC website.

Meanwhile, the ICPC also disclosed at the briefing that it had commenced a nationwide joint operation with security operatives, beginning yesterday, to close down the premises of the 41 identified illegal "universities", with the aim of seizing their properties, making arrest of operators and prosecuting the culprits.

The culprits were allegedly either using a fake name or illegally operating a satellite campus in the name of an approved and known institution. The suspects included University of Accountancy and Management Studies in Lagos, Concept College London with a campus in Gwarinpa, Abuja; Imo State University operating in a primary school in Garki, Abuja; a fake campus of Imo State University in Asaba, Temple University in Orozo, Abuja; Volta University College in Aba; Irish University Business School London anchored by Lobi Business School in Makurdi; Open University of Nigeria, Wuse II, Abuja; Mr. David Lornem New Idea Management at NNDC Building, Kaduna; another Imo State University satellite campus operated by Lucia Group of Schools at Ibusa; Volta University College in Aba; Abia State University study centre; Triumphal University in Omugbo town; Rockville University, Uburu, Royal University, Abakaliki; University of Caribbean in Ikorodu, Lagos; University of Education Ghana with centres in Lagos and Awka; Irish University Business School in Apapa, Lagos; Christ Message International University, Isolo, Lagos; University of Nigeria study centres in Surulere and Ikorodu, Lagos; University of Ibadan campus in Lagos, among others.

According to Prof. Olu Aina, who stood in for the ICPC chairman, Barrister Ekpo Nta, the action is the first in the series of implementing the outcome of an ongoing ICPC/NUC University System Study and Review (USSR), for which ICPC sought and obtained a Federal High Court warrant to clamp down on the illegal institutions.

LEADERSHIP had reported that the commission, through its chairman on Thursday last week in Calabar, had announced the discovery of 67 illegal universities nationwide with a warning that it would soon commence crackdown on the promoters of such illegal institutions.

"The activities of these illegal operators have impacted negatively on the mental, psychological and economic wellbeing of many young Nigerians and their parents. The institutions constitute an embarrassment to the government and remain a monumental corruption of the education system. "Therefore, an inter-agency task team comprising ICPC, the NUC, the police, the State Security Service and the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps will continue the exercise until all corrupt practices and impunity associated with the physical existence of such illegal institutions cease completely," Aina said.

The ICPC said a lot of the "universities" do not have fixed addresses while some have become itinerant in order to beat the law, adding that those being closed down were established in contravention of the law which states that any application for the establishment of a university must be done through the NUC only.

For his part, Prof. Shola Akinrinade, who represented the NUC executive secretary at the briefing, also denied insinuations that the commission had earlier granted temporary approval to the illegal institutions to operate. He said "the NUC does not grant temporary approval or licence to operate a university," hence the publication of legal and illegal institutions on its website.

_naij